January 1968: More Boycott Reaction

More Boycott Reaction

(letters to the editor, Track & Field News, January 1968)

BRUCE KIDD, Canadian distance runner, Chicago, Illinois:
I was appalled by the general reaction to the Olympic boycott proposal printed in the December issue, especially by the smug, condescending editorials by Nelsons titled "Opinion 68." 1868?

It simply confirms my long-standing that sportsmen count among the world's most reactionary. Despite their professed liberalism, the Nelsons and their fellows sound like southern colonels. When two brave young men declare themselves for the social revolution which must occur if the United States is to survive, the Nelsons can only reply: "It won't work until we whites allow it so don't be a martyr. Run along and play." But they really don't give a damn about Tommie Smith or Ralph Boston or the rest of the American Negroes. All they care about is that the American Olympic team perform well in their beloved sport of track & field.

Sports can never be divorced from the environment in which it's conducted. Trackmen are citizens too. The violent repression of the American Negro has been well documented for some time (so well documented that glib comments about "high crime rates and low work reliability" are myopic to the point of being racist) but few efforts have been made by whites to change these conditions.

The treatment of the "privileged Negro athlete" hasn't been much better: the Negro may be the star of the playing field but he's rarely considered even a human being the other six days of the week. What is the Negro expected to do? Wait another 200 years? Or just until after the next Olympics? To expect the exploited to accept his fate in a society which boasts about its democratic equality of opportunity is to be naive in the extreme. A Negro boycott of the Olympics is perfectly justified. For years Americans have prided themselves on the fact that they have Negroes on their Olympic team and that they give Sullivan awards to Negroes. And for years Americans have been ignoring the conditions in which they've forced Negroes to live. Tommie Smith is simply refusing to be part of the lie.

I have great admiration for the courage of Tommie Smith and Lee Evans and do not envy the decisions they and other Negro athletes must make. The pressure all of them are presently facing must be tremendous. On the one hand is the Olympics, the dream of every athlete, hopefully the glorious climax of a long, grueling athletic career. Track & field, moreover, is an individual sport and the Olympics in theory is the world's championship between individuals, not countries. On the other hand is the gnawing awareness that one's participation may strengthen the status quo of tokenism to which one is adamantly opposed, Whatever their decision, I hope they will all continue to act upon their concern for the Negro in America.

JOHNNY OELKERS, 1968 Olympic assistant, Tulane track coach, New Orleans, Louisiana:
I have been following the articles on the boycott with considerable interest. The various writers made many good points which I am sure all reasonable people accepted as honest expressions of hope for a decent solution. All except for the “Mail" section which seems overburdened with non-thinkers. I commend all and in fact everyone to a study of history and what the Olympics really are intended to be and then let them search their souls and make a decision--which, if made individually and without coercion of any kind, we must honor as the birthright of all Americans. I think all decent people must recognize that all these fine young men and women have that right and leave them to their own consciences.

JOHN DOBROTH, high jumper, Santa Ana, California:
My problem is typical of the white liberal. I say I'm with you but… saying that black decisions are aimed in the right directions but the method is wrong. That is exactly what is wrong with the entire society. We won't let people make decisions, i.e., kids are "good" but they just go about things wrong.

The fact is I can't see things from a black point of view. I am in no position to judge what the best approach to their problem is. The best thing I can do is stay out of the way until I am asked for help. I feel the more people boycott, the more the fact that once a black man stops getting press coverage he is just a "nigger" will be made public.

We live in a racist country—it is evidenced by George Wallace's 100,000 registrations in California and the rash of hate mail received by T&FN. I hear people are planning to boycott meets with Negro boycotters entered. Any disagreement I have with the boycott and its potential effect or usefulness is small in comparison to my support for the movement. Any black man has my support to boycott or not as suits his beliefs.

GORDON VREDENBIRG, Sacramento, California:
How does Tommie Smith justify his competing in Australia, the country that does not permit Negroes to live there? San Jose State is not paying his expenses so he won't lose his scholarship.

DOUG SCHUCH, Albuquerque, New Mexico:
I am white. My first reaction when I heard about the proposed boycott was negative. If finally you did boycott the Olympics, Tommie, my reaction would even be more negative. Go to the Olympics and win pride and respect for yourself, Tommie.

JEFF KROOT, Berkeley, California:
First, I'd like to compliment Dick Drake on the excellent, excellent coverage of the boycott, "Reaction to the Boycott" really summed it up as a title. Most of the letters were either unthinking, rationalizations of racism or outright racism, Even Cordner Nelson, with his "A reputation for high crime rates and low work reliability can never be wiped out by negative methods."

Or our Olympic coach's crack about "liberal loudmouths" getting all the attention and not someone who speaks rationally. These comments I believe were actually more frightening than the hate mail because their tone shows the depth to which racism is prevalent in our land. Despite the Vietnam war, Ronnie baby, etc., it's still always a surprise to see the reaction whenever someone makes a stand against racism.

TIMOTHY W. DRESCHER, Madison, Wisconsin:
The letters you have printed in response to your mention of the proposed Negro boycott are enough to convince skeptics that the Negroes are absolutely right. These letters betray with disturbing clarity the sort of attitude which the boycott exposes. Responsible writers, such as the editors of T&FN and others, are to be congratulated on their work, even though Bert Nelson's open letter to Tommie Smith is an example of and supports the traditional white pre judices (the use of the paternalizing form "Tommiem" for instance).

Dick Drake's following article, "An Unequivocal Right" is excellent, especially the 10th paragraph ("I hear it this way...'), because of its unflinching statement of the central issues and its implied allocation of guilt-all white men. However, it is not the responsible minority that is the prime focus of the boycott; rather it is the obviously irresponsible, biased and, I suspect, wholly selfish majority which must bear the burden of guilt for creating and allowing to persist the intolerable conditions which caused the boycott. Whether or not the athletes' actions will produce the desired results is a matter of conjecture, but at least it has allowed the public opinion to which it objects to expose itself for all eyes to view.

We should all take notice that, regardless of how we feel about the boycott, racial problems do exist in track & field.

MRS. ANN HILL, Chicago, Illinois:
Today I happened to read a copy of the December Track & Field News, and I was furious over 'Dear Tommie" written by the publisher, Bert Nelson. As a mother I am proud of Tommie and what he is attempting to do. I have a 22-month-old son and I wantonly the best for him. What Tommie is doing today will make it easier for my son tomorrow.

Baloney sauce on the bit about "hurting your race." They have been hurting themselves by their refusal to fight for what belongs to them. Tommie will suffer because he dared to speak, but through his suffering the world has learned of the discontent of the Negro athletes of America. He can take pride in the fact that he was willing to stand up and be counted now, when he's vulnerable to outside pressures. I'm sure his teammates agree with him within, but because they lack his fighting spirit and are afraid of material loss, they cannot agree vocally.

VENLO WOLFSOHN, Bethesda, Maryland:
You should be aware that the aim behind Harry Edwards' rather ridiculous demands is to gain publicity. That's why people picket the White House. The wrongs suffered by Negro athletes and non-athletes are grievous and we cannot hide from them. But Edwards' demands are so patently publicity-seeking (Who can tell a private club like the NYAC who they must accept as members?) that I can see no reason why T&FN should give them serious attention.

BERND KLOPFER, Rockaway, New Jersey:
Holy Smokes. I really believed that the world of track & field was free from racial prejudice and hate, but judging from the mall received by Tommie and Lee, if authentic, I must have been living in a dream world. My reaction to any proposed boycott of the Olympics prior to reading your reprints of this hate mall was that it was not the right thing to do, but certainly should have been anyone's privilege if he so desired for whatever reason.

Now I feel that not only the Negro athletes but their white fellow athletes as well should very definitely refuse to participate. I have wondered how white Americans could take credit for Olympic achievements of Negro athletes by claiming them as citizens of the US but then refusing them equal rights as citizens once they return home. To all the Negroes of America, athletes and otherwise, I offer my apologies for the writers of those hate letters, whose only relation to me and millions of others is nothing more than skin color.

HUGH GARDNER, Redwood City, California:
I think it likely that Harry Edwards himself wrote (or had some of his goons write) many of those hate letters to Tommie and Lee. An agitator of that type reminds me of childhood cases of bullies yelling "Fight-fight-fight, we'll back you up" and disappearing if the going got rough. I'll never ever be able to understand how a guy like that ever got so much attention from those outstanding citizens, known mainly for sports achievements which frequently parlay into six figure salaries later.

JOEL DAVIS, Misawa Air Base, Japan:
Tommie and Lee appear to have gotten themselves into a difficult situation. They have but one chance with the sports world--to run and to win. Use of such terms as "cat," "dig" and "cool" ("Tom, Lee Discuss Boycott", Nov. T&FN), do absolutely nothing to enhance the image of the Negro with whites. Such language is not expected of university degree holders. Such terms make most whites think of the uneducated, the hoodlum or the narcotic-using musician than someone welcomed into any group.

STEVE PRICE, Dayton, Ohio:
Bert Nelson's article on Tommie Smith and the boycott were both factual end revealing. It's too bad that other news media usually sacrifices truth in favor of sensationalism.

NATHANIEL WILLIS, St. Louis, Missouri:
I want to commend Dick Drake on his article. concerning the individual privilege of Tommie and Lee to boycott the Olympics. Ethnic groups and social problem should not be decisive factors in decisions of this nature. Personally speaking, if the best athletes do not represent this country at Mexico City, then the US will be hurt. Your Harry Edwards and your Bert and Cordner Nelsons only do harm with their very trite and pathetic wailings of warnings and advice.

ED GRANT, journalist, Murray Hill, New Jersey:
I wonder if some of the white overreaction to this whole thing is not just another example of the blind prejudice so prevalent in our world. To date, the Negro reaction has been thoroughly mixed. They have reacted as individuals, which is exactly what we should expect. But so often nowadays, it seems that any proclamation from some two-bit Negro leader with no more than a handful or followers brings to too many white minds the picture of marching black legions. His own guilt, of course, is what projects that picture. It is, of course gratuitous for a white man to advise any Negro on this question, or even to appeal to him.

I would take final issue with Dick Drake on the purely hypothetical matter of what a total boycott would mean to the US team. The American press that I have read has generally overestimated the effect, displaying their usual ignorance of the sport. But I would think Drake's estimate is a little pessimistic.

DAVE REEVES, former BYU sprinter, Spokane, Washington:
The "Fan Mail" received by Tommie and Lee, was the most disgusting, degrading, ignorant and vile collection of thought ever expressed. It does not speak for me nor does it speak for the majority of white athletic enthusiasts and athletes. It's too bad that, as usual, the small minority of hate mongers seems to be able to speak louder and influence more severely than the majority of the population. My own feeling is that while the Negro race has a legitimate gripe, the logic of the boycott against the one area where the Negro not only is equal to, but far surpasses the white man, seems to lack validity and credibility. In the final analysis it will not reinstate Muhammed Ali, nor integrate the NYAC, nor add Negro coaches to the Olympic team.

ALAN JURANEK, South Pasadena, California:
I feel that your publication of the "Fan Letters" to Tommie and others was a mistake, and it's unfortunate that you would allow your magazine to be use a platform for bigots and slanderers. Such letters only give undeserved credence to Smith's cause.

GEOFFREY PIETSCH, Miami, Florida:
I'm glad you printed the "Fan Mail" to Tommie and Lee. If one doubts the seriousness of the Negroes' grievances one needs only to read the sick hate mail you printed. It is especially appalling to read such barbarous reactions. Personally, I hope Tommie and Lee and all those who qualify for the US team will run in Mexico City, not for the glory of the 115 but rather, for their own satisfaction and for all people everywhere. The Olympics are the apotheosis of brotherhood in this world. But, whatever the athletes choose to do they deserve praise not condemnation for they did not create the terrible heritage of prejudice and discrimination which has forced this awful dilemma upon them.

ERIC LEWIS, Portland, Oregon:
I was disgusted by the amount of hate letters Tommie and Lee received. Being a track nut, I have watched them and have concluded they were gentlemen, on and off the track. I still feel the same way, nothing has changed. I hope you don't boycott the Games, but whatever your decision is I'll still be a fan of them.

DON SAWYER, Santa Barbara, California:
T&FN has shown great responsibility and maturity in the coverage of the proposed boycott. It has been far superior to that of the mass media, in objectivity depth and scope. My wife and I were stunned and hurt by the bigotry and viciousness in some of the letters to Tommie and Lee. We were depressed by the fear-laden and narrow words. I have written a brief, sympathetic letter to them. It is enclosed. May I prevail upon you just to add their address and mail it to them.
(Ed: It was mailed.)